Until recently (thinking the past 20 or 30 years or so) machine quilting was looked down upon and longarm quilting was when it appeared as well. Many didn't consider it "real quilting". Heck there are still people out there who don't consider a machine quilted quilt a "real" quilt. The people who perservered and continued to machine quilt trail blazed and it wasn't long before machine quilted quilts started winning. So I guess you could say the likes of Harriet Hargrave were rule breakers too.
There are constant innovations and changes to quiltmaking. Like the modern genre for example. There are loads of techniques and quilters that are trying new things. Some work some don't.
The Essential Quilter by Barbara Cheney is a good book that focuses on hand quilting and talks a bit about the history of quilt making.
https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Qui.../dp/0715305697